To Keep her feet on the Ground
by xXxSukiKiraixXx
Summary: Yuuwaku, a young and distressed teenage girl, stumbles upon a shop, with an ominous book with a matching lock and key. "You must promise to never open that book", the woman demanded.
1. Chapter 1

Yuuwaku ran into her room, slammed the door shut, and locked it behind her. She sank to the floor, covering her ears, clenching them so tightly it was as if she was attempting to claw her ears off.

"Perhaps it would be better if I actually did", she thought as the voices of arguing parents continued resonating through the door. Once she was able to block out the sounds of screaming coming from downstairs, she reached for the chain around her neck and held on tightly to the antique key that was attached to its silver chain. She began searching about her room, rummaging through her bottom drawer. She let out a sigh of relief when she found what she had been searching for. It was an antique book; the design on the covers and its spine matched up with intricate design on her key.

This was no ordinary book. In fact, it was the farthest thing from it.

Yuuwaku thought back to the strange day when she received the book. It was about a week ago. She was walking home, unwilling to go home to face the stormy state of her home, when she decided to take the long way, kicking a pebble as she walked. Absentmindly, she accidently kicked the stone too hard and it skipped across the busy road to the other side of the street. She ran after it, ignoring the passing cars that honked their horns and cursed her off as she suddenly dashed across the street. The stone seemed to magically stop once it landed just in front of a crisp green lawn. Confused, Yuuwaku looked up. There was a rather, out of place building before her, with a wooden fence and Japanese styled architecture. There was a wind chime fluttering a light tune as the wind gently clattered them around. Not only was it rare to find a large manicured lawn in the city, but she had never seen such a traditionally styled building amongst the labyrinth grey skyscrapers.

She stared in awe at the beautiful building before her. Then, as if the universe had compelled her to, she began to slowly make her way to the door. When she slid the door open, a strong aroma of incenses engulfed her senses.

Before her was a long hallway, with another sliding door at the end. The hallway was dim, but the distant room was well lit and she could see shadows behind the paper door. She wanted to turn back, after all she _was_ trespassing, but something seemed to stop her from doing anything other than walk down toward the door.

Yuuwaku slid open the door. There was a large, practically empty room. In the center was a large rectangular rug, with a glass coffee table that had a large book, with a lock and a matching key, resting upon its surface. Yuuwaku looked up, there was a tall, red-eyed woman with very long black hair resting sideways on a metal-framed, red couch. The woman was looking at her with an emotionless face and discerning eyes.

"Oh, I'm so SORRY!" Yuuwaku exclaimed, "I don't know why I'm here, my feet just seemed to moved on their own!" The woman's expression didn't change, but after a few moments of awkward silence. The woman smiled wryly, with her discerning eyes unchanged, and sat upright.

"No worries, Yuuwaku, you were brought here by the ties of fate." She replied. Yuuwaku was confused.

"How do you know my name?!" She demanded. "Just what is this place?"

"It is a shop." The woman replied calmly. "A wish-granting shop. We can grant any wish as long as proper compensation is returned."

"Um… Don't you mean, money"? The woman chuckled.

"Sometimes, yes. However, that's not always the case. In order to maintain the proper balance, every action must have something to counter balance it; the scale must not be thrown off balance. When a wish is granted, someone must pay the price to counterbalance it. This can be paid for by many sorts of things. For example, it may be paid through various services, items of importance, or even by surrendering a part of a person's soul."

"Soul?" Yuuwaku gulped. Then, after a pause, she dumbfoundedly added "Wishes?"

"Yes, Soul, and this is a wish-granting shop; therefore by coming here it must mean that you have a wish."

Yuuwaku was quite suspicious, and intended to leave; she had no wish that she could think of, plus she had no desire to return the favor, but something compelled her to reply, "I want that book". Yuuwaku had no idea what had come over her.

"It is yours to take."

"REALLY?" She cried in disbelief. "Well, thanks." Yuuwaku picked up the book off of the table. "Wait, what about the payment?"

"For you, there is no payment, as long as you promise me one thing." Yuuwaku's ears opened, as the woman continued, "You must NEVER open that book." Yuuwaku was puzzled; however, she felt a strong desire for the book, so she promised the shop owner that she'd never open the book. Then, she hurried along home, with a new book and a promise she didn't intend to keep.


	2. Chapter 2

"Yuuko-san!" A tall, lanky teenage boy with black hair and glasses called out. He was wearing an apron and running around the shop with a duster. This boy was a part timer in the shop; he worked day and night in order to pay off his debt. He owed the store owner a lot. But what he owed her wasn't cash, no, it was much worse. She demanded his blood, sweat and tears.

"WHAT?! Stop yelling so loudly so early in the morning!" A tall woman with very long black hair and red eyes groggily complained as she sat up.

"It's already 11 o'clock."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN ALREADY?! Lemme sleep!" She screamed as she threw her hands in the air and then fell back down onto the couch. The tall boy waved the duster before her face and a cloud of dust formed. "AHCHOO!" Yuuko sneezed and started to cough uncontrollably. "What! What do you want!?"

"Where did that book on the coffee table go?"

"Oh a customer came and I gave it to her."

"Then where did the key go?"

"Obviously, I gave it her". She replied with a "matter-of-fact" tone.

"I thought you said that the book should never be opened?" The boy questioned curiously.

"Yeah."

"What? Then why did you give her the key?"

"Simply, because she asked."

"So, you gave it to her because she wouldn't open it?"

"Who knows", Yuuko-san replied. Then, her expression suddenly changed in to a serious and frightening tone, "but either way, that book was never meant to be opened."


	3. Chapter 3: Temptation

**Hey Guys!**  
**  
So, yeah I decided to write another chapter! Yay!  
I've gotten back into one of my writing sprees again, so if you want me to put up another chapter just let me know!**

**Hope you enjoy!**

**~xXxSukiKiraixXx**

* * *

Chapter 3

"WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS LIKE THIS!"

Her mother's screaming voice was the first thing she heard as she walked through the door and into the foyer.

"I'M HOME!" She called as she removed her sneakers with her free hand. "Ignored. As Always". She added under her breath. Yuuwaku was used to this routine. However, she felt that there was something different about today.

Her book—Yes, that had to be it.

Yuuwaku could feel the anticipation swell up inside of her, but she didn't know why it was there to begin with. Yuuwaku had plenty of books, after all they provided her with the proper escape from this hell hole. This book was not exceptionally beautiful either. The metal cover and its vine-like design were beautiful, but not beautiful enough that it would compel such curiosity within her.

But there was something else about this book. It was hiding something, something amongst its pages, pages that were locked away with a key, a key that was in her possession.

She ran up the stairs and locked the door behind her. As she stared in fascination at the book, the voices of her parents faded away. She sank down to the floor in the corner of her room. While resting the book on her lap, she took her right hand and ran it across the front cover, then down the spine, feeling the bumps from the ivy-like design of its cover.

Yuuwaku took a look at the lock. It let off an aura. Looking at the lock made her think that it was impregnable, impossible to open. _Because it was meant to remain shut_. She shushed at her conscience telling it to be quiet. Then, she removed the necklace that she received from the mysterious shop owner from around her neck. At the end of the necklace was an antique key, whose design matched the cover of the book that was currently sitting on her lap. She gripped the key tightly in her hand and then placed it in the lock. She was just about to turn the key when she remembered the ominous words of the mysterious shop owner.

"_You promise me one thing…You must NEVER open that book_".

The world seemed to stop as Yuuwaku thought of that moment. There was something strange about the shop owner, aside from her traditional Japanese styled home (located in the middle of the city) and her unusual payment practice. The shop owner was very serious and foreboding about the book.

"_Maybe I shouldn't open it"._

Yuuwaku pondered this thought for a bit.

"_But in the end, it's just a book, _so what's the worst that could happen!" Yuuwaku told herself.

As she heard her mother storm out of the house, she added, "It's not like anything could get any worse". She took a deep breath, and she turned the key.


End file.
